August 19th, 2017-Charles Smith,

THE SHOW

Chef Meets BC Grape / Okanagan

The Taste of the Okanagan signature tasting event Chef Meets BC Grape will take place on Saturday, August 26 at the historic See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls where guests are invited to spend the day with celebrated star chefs and various award-winning BC winemakers.

The day will include a variety of food stations prepared by the country’s top chefs Chefs Mark McEwan, Nicole Gomes Top Chefwinner and many more. Also master class wine education seminars with Rhys Pender plus food and wine pairing demonstrations over 40 BC VQA Wines to sample and much more.

Charles Smith – Wines of Substance

In celebration of their new, special release, barrel-aged K Vintners Jet City Riesling, they are hosting the first-annual Jet City Riesling Revolution on Saturday, August 26 at Charles Smith’s Jet City in Seattle.

Bringing together 18 premier wineries primarily from the Pacific Northwest and a few favorites from Germany to showcase the best Riesling including Charles & Charles Riesling, the famed Kung Fu Girl Riesling, and K Vintners Jet City Riesling, which is only available for a limited time at the event and in the Jet City tasting room. Following the tasting, performances by Calexico and a rare solo act from Isaac Brock, Modest Mouse front man, making this a truly one-of-a-kind event.

“Riesling has been one of my favorite varietals,” said Charles Smith, winemaker, and owner of Jet City. “We’re excited to bring together so many producers and a killer music lineup to give the varietal a worthy celebration.” Sir Charles

We found Charles sitting on the end of his dock, fishing and tasting a magnum of Bubble. It was his 56th Birthday!

Not sure how the day turned out.

Vikram Vij – Vij The Book

What kind of person would stop his car in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge and jump out to celebrate being a free man?

This guy.

Vikram Vij

Vij reveals the story of Vikram Vij, one of Canada’s most celebrated chefs and entrepreneurs. Co-owner of the world-famous Vij’s Restaurant in Vancouver, his story is a true rags-to-riches tale of a college dropout from northern India who made it to Europe’s temples of high cuisine, then with a one-way ticket bound for Canada, found fame serving some of the world’s most transcendent Indian cuisine.

Vij’s Restaurant, originally a fourteen-seat establishment known for its extraordinary flavours and spice blends, along with a firm no-reservation policy, received accolades from restaurant critics and patrons alike.

A culinary journey that began in India as a boy enjoying the praise of visitors for his chai and biscuits, Vikram’s passion for Indian cooking and his lifelong mission to bring awareness to the culture he left behind have fueled his tireless drive in building a world-renowned food empire.

Driven to succeed, Vikram realized his dream to launch five major initiatives under the Vij’s brand by age fifty, but with challenges and sacrifices along the way.

For the first time, Vikram opens up about his struggles with prejudice, his mentors’ lasting lessons, and the painful demise of his marriage—both the successes and the failures that have shaped and sharpened one of Canada’s most unique and revered culinary talents.

That’s what the press release wanted you to know. Fair enough.

I knew some of the story but what I really wanted to know was the rest of the story!! This interview attempts that reveal.

Lamb Popsicles

Vikram Vijwas born in India and grew up in Amritsar and Mumbai. He studied hotel management in Salzburg, Austria, before moving to Canada to work at the Banff Springs Hotel.

He opened the original fourteen-seat Vij’s Restaurant in 1994, and has appeared on many television shows and regularly cooks for events, including the James Beard Awards gala in New York.

A certified sommelier, he is passionate about pairing wines with Indian food. In addition to running Vij’s and Rangoli with Meeru, Vikram is the chef and owner of My Shanti.

Okanagan Wine Campus, created in 2011 by Okanagan Crush Pad, is a mentorship program that provides selected Vancouver Sommeliers with the unique chance to make a small lot wine using the grape variety and style of wine they wish.

The proceeds from the sale of the wine are given to the BC Hospitality Foundation wine scholarship fund to support students pursuing their higher level wine education certification.

Jill Spoor joined Fairmont Pacific Rim in 2011 to open Giovane Winebar, implementing an all-Italian wine program. Spoor’s enthusiasm and dedication to the wine program at the hotel led her to her role as Wine Director.

Jill Spoor has developed Botanist’s wine program to reflect exclusive terroir-driven wineries that support sustainable, organic and biodynamic farming and winemaking practices.

Recently, Spoor was designated Okanagan Crush Pad Winery’s ‘2016 Harvest Intern,’ and has been hard at work developing her own wine label – a beautiful white blend.

The wine label was designed by her niece Taryn Brown, who is a gifted artist living in Victoria.

Jill recommends pairing with scallop or ling cod from the Botanist menu. Juicy green melon with entrancing high-notes of newly cut grass, fresh thyme and sage. A rounded mouth feel on the mid-palate gives way to a refreshing, zippy lime finish.

Assembled specially by Jill Spoor, Matt Dumayne, David Scholefield and world-renowned terroir expert, Dr Pedro Parra, this blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc is a pure expression of what the Okanagan does best.

About the blend:

Juicy green melon with entrancing high-notes of newly cut grass, fresh thyme and sage. A rounded mouth feel on the mid-palate gives way to a refreshing, zippy lime finish. Assembled specially by Jill Spoor, Matt Dumayne, David Scholefield and world-renowned terroir expert, Dr Pedro Parra, this blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc is a pure expression of what the Okanagan does best.

Available at select private retail stores, at The Botanist Restaurant, Fairmont Pacific Rim or from WWW.OKANAGANCRUSHPAD.COM

… and Christine Coletta is – one of the leaders in the BC wine industry and the co-owner of Okanagan Crush pad.

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About Author

An aficionado of contemporary popular music, Terry David Mulligan gained national exposure through his television presentations on Much Music and Bravo! while simultaneously carving out a career as a television and film actor. Mulligan is a big fan of CKUA, calling it “unquestionably the best radio station in Canada”.

In 1995, Terry offered to back up his words with action and began hosting a program that features the best in pop, rock, R & B and soul music. It’s a concoction that, naturally enough, is called Mulligan Stew.

In recent times, he has been working on a radio show called Tasting Room Radio, as well Terry was named Broadcaster of the Year by the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters.